Name: South Pier Inn
Address: 701 South Lake Avenue, Park Point, Duluth, Minnesota, United States of America, Duluth, St. Louis County, US
Price range: US$157–US$349 per night
Rating: 9.27

What guests think

At South Pier Inn, reviewers frequently praise the unbeatable location beside Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge and the memorable canal views, along with very clean rooms and generally friendly service, creating a unique, convenient base steps from Canal Park.

Many rooms include balconies, fireplaces, or jetted tubs, but several guests reported poor soundproofing from upstairs or stairwells and mixed mattress comfort. Parking is tight and limited, and there is no elevator, so ground-floor requests may matter for those with mobility needs. Breakfast feedback ranges from delicious local pastries and good variety to bare-minimum offerings or weak coffee. Expect a view-focused stay ideal for ship watchers and walkers, with some trade-offs around noise, parking, and amenities.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Waterfront seating and a fire pit are appreciated. Parking is tight or limited and there is no elevator; one review noted a temporary hot water outage.

Related guest reviews

10

Kathy

12 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It was beautuful and clean. Breakfast was amazing, and staff was helpful. Parking was tight. lication to ships, excellent. It would have nice to have help up stairs with my bags. i would definitely stay here again. Checking jn and out was easy and pleasant.

10

Patricia

26 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Loved that bikes were provided for no cost. Room was great and we did have a lake view which we didn't think we had. The daytime front desk help was great!

4

Jessica

18 Mar 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Horrible parking. They need a better "hotel map" amd explanation for understanding how the rooms are entered upon arriving. Staff was kind but did a bad job explaining how to find my room.

8

Timothy

28 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Needs better parking

10

Karen

1 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

This was our first stay. Hubby was geeking out at how close we were to the lift bridge. The view is beautiful and we could see the Christmas Lights from our window. The living room with hot tub was cozy and we enjoyed watching TV in the evening as we relaxed from our day. The only issue is that parking is quite limited. Also, if you have guests that have a hard time with stairs, be sure to ask for a ground floor unit, as there is no elevator. We will stay again sometime.

10

Connie

15 May 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Litter. Not all of the guests respect the area and leave their candy wrappers and breakfast bags for others to pick up. Not the Inn's fault, but maybe they could better encourage such respect. I appreciated the recycling containers.

10

Jeff

4 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

the South Pier Inn is in a wonderful location next to the lift bridge! the facility takes advantage of this location with outside seating areas that include a fire pit.

6

Aaron

12 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Outside of property was dated bad shape needs a ton of work parking lot was a war zone of potholes, fire pit was on top of the road facing the street rather than the view. Breakfast was a joke some homemade goods in ziplock bags worst continental breakfast I’ve ever had. Overall this was not a 350.00 a night hotel I will never stay again staff very dull and not very inviting and way over priced definitely check out the hikers just down the street everyone had good things to stay, south pier was below average and price was way to high for this place.

4

Shawn

27 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I didn’t like that we didn’t have hot water the night of our stay, which means we couldn’t use the hot tub or the shower, I would’ve appreciated a heads up at arrival since they knew there was a water issue, and didn’t mention it to us, and I would’ve appreciated some communication back when I called the evening of our day to find out what was going on. We didn’t have water until the morning. We were leaving this frustrating after traveling a great distance and spending a lot of money to stay for the night.

10

Molly

15 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We love being at the base of the lift bridge right next to the freighters as they come by. The Adirondack chairs out front and little fire make a great cozy place to sit and watch the boat traffic.

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Cleanliness

Housekeeping is widely praised as very clean and well kept. A few guests noted musty odors or hot tub residue, plus minor maintenance issues.

Related guest reviews

8

John

3 Feb 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Always a beautiful view, easy parking, quick walk down to Canal Park for dinner. I do think that the jets in the hot tub need cleaning, I've never experience the water getting dirty after turning the jets on prior to using it. Otherwise we love staying here.

10

Sheryl

28 May 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

House keeping did a great job! The room was very clean & pleasant, look forward to staying here again.

10

Elizabeth

3 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Sitting outside, both on harbor side and lake side, was so enjoyable. Lake side fire pit was appreciated, even on an August evening. Only one comment. The hot tub was likely not used recently prior to our visit. The next morning there was a grime ring. Minor issue, and easily resolved, but something to keep in mind. We had a wonderful visit.

10

Grace

9 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The rooms are extremely clean. The view is amazing! And the breakfast had a great selection. Will definitely come back. Also, staff are super friendly too.

10

Monika

8 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great views, super clean rooms

4

jane

20 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

carpeting on stairs and in room smelled very musty odor. the rooms were very small for the price we had to pay price gouging if you ask me just because it was near the lift bridge too many stairs to climb would not stay there again

10

Janette

8 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great accommodating staff. Clean and quiet property and room.

10

Kaitlin

30 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Spent two nights here! Only feet from the water! Watching the lift bride in operation and the freight liners go past was amazing. The room was spotless! Very comfy beds and great fireplace and jetted tub for two! Will definitely be back

10

Diana

28 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Beautiful property! Very clean and well stocked. We will definitely be back.

10

Michelle

15 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Friendly staff, clean rooms. Very easy to get to. We could see Bentleyville from our room. Bed was comfy and the fireplace added a homey feel. Will definitely stay here again.

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Rooms

Rooms are cozy with standout canal and bridge views; many include balconies, fireplaces, or jetted tubs, and some suites are spacious. Downsides are poor soundproofing from upstairs or stairwells, mixed mattress comfort, occasional small rooms, and sporadic TV issues.

Related guest reviews

10

Aaron

2 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The executive suite is larger than expected. Room is exactly as pictured except there's more room to move around. First floor has a separated balcony space right off the living room which was not expected. The only downside was being next to the staircase to the 2nd floor rooms. Thankfully it's only 2 rooms per staircase so you only heard them running up and down stairs a few times a day, and you can hear every step they take in the room above you. Again, very grateful it was only a couple of adults and not small children running all day. Eventually we just blocked out the noise of them walking since we couldn't hear anything else. No Tv's or conversations above or next too. Very clean and quiet other than the walking, quiet neighborhood, very personable and helpful staff when we checked in. New the area and was able to recommend restaurants in duluth and superior areas.

10

Kai-Li

16 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Friendly staff and I really love the room! You can watch YouTube, Netflix, etc there.

8

Ann

30 Jan 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The view of the bridge was beautiful and it was within convenient walking distance to Canal Park. The king bed was very comfortable as was the entire room. The main con was the constant noise from those in the rooms above us. We stayed in a lower-level room, but the stairs are located almost right over the lower level rooms. We were woken up multiple times by people going up and down the stairs during the night. Overall, I would still stay here again though.

6

Sarah

26 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff was friendly and the hotel is in a great location. The vending machines only take cash which is not a huge deal but if you’re like me you never have cash so stock up on snacks and beverages elsewhere. The room was clean, the couch was well used and while comfy had a lot of soft saggy spots. The beds are nice enough but like the couch kind of saggy towards the middle. The bedroom faces the parking lot and the sitting area faces the water and lift bridge. My biggest issue with the room is the lack of sound proofing, all night I could hear the room above me every time they walked on the floor which made it difficult to sleep since it sounded like a consistent pounding. This was not just because of someone being heavy footed because it was the same amount of loudness when the cleaning lady was up there cleaning. The toilet would also continue to run after flushing, this wasn’t consistent but often enough to be annoying. Because of these two issues I don’t really think the room is worth the high nightly cost.

8

Chris

19 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It was a very small room.

10

kris

12 Jan 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Incredible room with an amazing views of the city and tankers going through lift bridge. Wonderful staff and healthy breakfast. Four enthusiastic thumbs up!

10

Steve

4 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent room! Fantastic view! Ammenities were great! Only 2 downfalls... was a little pricey but not outrageous and the bed was horrible. Hardly slept for 2 nights we were there. It was extremely saggy in the middle and way too soft. But all in all, still a great trip!

10

Krystal

23 Jan 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The only bad thing about the room is that we couldn’t get the tv to work

8

Paige

19 Dec 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was absolutely amazing! Very clean and fresh smelling. The view was BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't have asked for a better experience when it came to the room. The reason for the 4 stars- the breakfast was bare minimum. The "parfait bar" consisted of half frozen yogurt with a couple toppings to choose from. Coffee was not the greatest either. But other than that. Room was spectacular!

10

Mark

2 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

We loved the South Pier Inn. It is in a unique and memorable location. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The room had a wonderful view from a private balcony of ships arriving and departing the harbor. Our room was very comfortable except for a fairly hard mattress.

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Service

Service is often friendly, helpful, and welcoming, with smooth check-in and engaged owners. Several guests, however, reported unfriendly front-desk interactions or communication lapses.

Related guest reviews

10

Keith

17 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff that checked us in, was very helpful on where to eat and And things to see and do in the area and about the ships coming through the channel.

6

Anthony

10 Mar 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

The property is in a very unique location by the lift bridge so I thought it\'d be a great place to take my girlfriend from 3/6-3/9. However, our experience was disappointing. We stayed in room 803 and were forced to smell a strong odor of weed everytime we left and entered our room and at times the smell would seep into our room because the guest in room 802 was obviously smoking. I notified a woman at the front desk on Wednesday 3/8 but nothing was done as we continued to smell weed. Last time I checked weed is illegal and you label your property as "smoke free". This individual should have been kicked out immediately. I didn\'t pay your high prices to stay at a college dorm. We will stay at Park Point Marina Inn next time.

8

Sarah

17 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff was very friendly! Thank you for a welcoming atmosphere.

10

Julie

14 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was great, clean and a wonderful view! Breakfast options were awesome & delicious! The coffee is amazing. Our only negative experience was with the front desk staff. Neither were very friendly or personable.

10

Brandon

9 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had a fantastic stay! The Inn had so much charm and character. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to add an extra night to our trip. We also upgraded to the Panorama King Room, and the views were absolutely amazing — definitely worth it. Everything was mostly clean, comfortable, and welcoming. We’d recommend this place 100% and would love to come back again someday.

10

Arif

17 May 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent service! Thank you.

4

Shawn

27 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I didn’t like that we didn’t have hot water the night of our stay, which means we couldn’t use the hot tub or the shower, I would’ve appreciated a heads up at arrival since they knew there was a water issue, and didn’t mention it to us, and I would’ve appreciated some communication back when I called the evening of our day to find out what was going on. We didn’t have water until the morning. We were leaving this frustrating after traveling a great distance and spending a lot of money to stay for the night.

10

Lillian

9 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Lovely place. Staff were friendly and very helpful. Would definitely stay there again.

10

Mitchell

13 Mar 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Was a great hotel with great views and very close to entertainment and dining. Gentleman at check in was excellent. Gentlemen at check out seemed somewhat short and rude but all in all I highly recommend this hotel!

8

Micheala

1 Nov 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Executive King Suite was spacious and details were thoughtful (binoculars). Sadly, upon check in, we were met by an unpleasant front desk clerk who was rude and snapped at my wife when she asked a simple question. It wasn’t a great way to begin our stay.

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Location

Unbeatable position beside the Aerial Lift Bridge with easy walks to Canal Park’s dining, shops, and attractions; ship watching is a major highlight. Expect occasional horn noise and brief delays when the bridge lifts.

Related guest reviews

10

Robert

2 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The view of the bridge was awesome! We liked that we were within walking distance of the canal and many places were just across the bridge.

10

Brad

28 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We came to Duluth for a concert and the location worked great.

10

jefferson

26 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

we had a great two day stay at the inn with a balcony facing the bridge. the room was very clean and the bed was very comfortable. didn't understand the big tub in the room other than it being for honeymooners. bathroom had everything and the shower worked perfectly. being near the bridge means you have to hear the blasts from the ships and bridge as they respond to each other 24/7 (yup, 3am), but loved seeing these huge great lake ships pass close by. across the bridge was great restaurants, especially bellisio's...excellent

10

Valerie

15 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Ideally set directly next to the lift bridge and minutes drive to the Aquarium and Train Museum! Easy in and out and lots of dining just over the bridge! Our second stay here! Highly recommend!

10

Josh

17 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Amazing. Fantastic place to stay beautiful view of the canal and ships passing through, anything you could need is a walk away across the historic lift bridge.

10

Troy

1 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location was fantastic! Walkable to shopping, dining, and water views.

10

Timothy

26 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I stayed in a non view balcony room. Smallish room but the balcony was a nice bonus. Everything you touch is spotless and you sense the property is well cared for and managed. Fair prices mid week as compared to others in Canal Park though you run the risk of getting “bridged”.

10

Adam

3 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location.

10

Russell

23 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Location, Location, Location! If you want to be close to the action, this is the place. We got to see a couple of ships pass under the Lift Bridge going in/out of the canal between Duluth Harbor and Lake Superior. Many cool restaurants, brewpubs, and dessert places just on the other side of the bridge which is a 2-3 walk from the Inn. This is the place to stay when visiting Duluth.

10

vince

29 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great place to stay in canal park and you can walk to everything .

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Dining

Continental breakfast earns frequent praise for tasty local pastries and decent variety, with complimentary coffee, water, and cookies. Some guests found it basic or underwhelming, and a few mentioned weak coffee.

Related guest reviews

6

Terrence

14 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Certainly not one of the better places in Duluth. Breakfast is dismal. Rooms are small. Staff can be unfriendly and dismissive, but not all. One of those hotels that was "slipped" into a sliver of land. The non-lakeside looks like a seedy drive up motel. Plenty of better places to stay in Duluth., Best thing about this place i bniat-watching.,

10

Barbara

13 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This is our second time here and both times - we loved the room, the view and the ships coming through. The breakfast was plentiful with many options to choose from. Comfy and cozy.

10

Suzanne

10 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely views of the canal and bridge and a short walk across the bridge to bars and restaurants. Always very welcoming and the breakfast has some very good options. Coffee , water and cookies are always available!

10

Kimmie

17 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

What a perfect place to stay in Duluth near Canal park! We were delighted with the delicious breakfast - exceeded our expectations as a continental breakfast. The room was cute and clean and both of us slept great on the bed! Parking was close and convenient. The views and location was amazing! Just perfect for our weekend away!

10

Kristin

21 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely place to stay, clean and comfortable with good coffee and nice pastries

6

Aaron

12 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Outside of property was dated bad shape needs a ton of work parking lot was a war zone of potholes, fire pit was on top of the road facing the street rather than the view. Breakfast was a joke some homemade goods in ziplock bags worst continental breakfast I’ve ever had. Overall this was not a 350.00 a night hotel I will never stay again staff very dull and not very inviting and way over priced definitely check out the hikers just down the street everyone had good things to stay, south pier was below average and price was way to high for this place.

10

Jean M

5 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It is a fabulous place to stay. Even the breakfast pastries were made from a local bakery. Delicious...and special.

10

Peggy

1 Apr 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely and super clean! The view is amazing and it is an easy walk everywhere in Canal Park. We loved the continental breakfast with granola bar, fruit, and fresh bakery from a local bakery.

8

Paige

19 Dec 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was absolutely amazing! Very clean and fresh smelling. The view was BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't have asked for a better experience when it came to the room. The reason for the 4 stars- the breakfast was bare minimum. The "parfait bar" consisted of half frozen yogurt with a couple toppings to choose from. Coffee was not the greatest either. But other than that. Room was spectacular!

10

Timothy

30 Nov 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

I had a really nice quiet stay, was able to sleep really well. The doughnuts for breakfast are fantastic.

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Month	Average price
January	US$132
February	US$138
March	US$139
April	US$165
May	US$182
June	US$227
July	US$253
August	US$246
September	US$266
October	US$183
November	US$172
December	US$187

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18 $222	19 $242	20 $229	21 $232	22 $225	23 $313	24 $319
25 $174	26 $164	27 $161	28 $157	29 $164	30 $238	31 $240

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17 $331	18 $347	19 $349
20 $216	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Junior Suite, 1 King Bed, Mobility Accessible, Bay View

Executive Suite, 1 King Bed with Sofa Bed, Hot Tub, Canal View

Classic Room, 1 King Bed with Sofa Bed, Balcony (No Water View)

Junior Suite, 1 Queen Bed, Hot Tub, Bay View

Junior Suite, 1 Queen Bed, Hot Tub, Canal View

Executive Suite, 1 King Bed with Sofa Bed, Hot Tub, Bay View

Classic Room, 1 King Bed, Mobility Accessible (No Water View)

Classic Room, 1 Queen Bed with Sofa Bed, Balcony (No Water View)

Guest reviews

Superb

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

FAQs about South Pier Inn

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